Elf Physiology and Aging
Humans on HauvKhusian: Meaning: earth, ground, land More Pem have a common misconception about elves, they live forever. That couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, Elves live a long time, some for thousands of years. But, when compared to humans lifespan of sixty years, it seems like forever.
There are four different Elvin races with similar physiology going through the same metamorphosis. Each transformation requires them to meditate for a time. During the trance they slow their metabolism, allowing them to age much slower. Each transition has a limited window, if missed they can never advance to the next stage. Each trance is more prolonged with an increased chance of not waking. However, A few have returned after an extended meditation state, and they become great leaders.
Elvin children learn the fundamental skills for survival, communication, the tribe hierarchy and more. They age like human children, until their first transformation somewhere between the ages of ten and twelve years. The meditation between being a child and an adolescent is mandatory and last between three to five days.
The adolescent stage will last until they are between thirty-five and forty, looking like someone in their late teens. It is during this time when they decide on their lives direction, whether to be a scholar, warrior, druid, or any other profession. If they choose not to move on, their life expectancy is about one hundred and fifty years.
The young adult has until they are one hundred and ten to move on, while looking like their thirty. During this time, elves can join in a permanent union and have children. They can become an apprentice or a member of the prestigious civil defense. They must decide whether to advance to the next stage or remain as a young elf. The maximum age for them is about eight-hundred years.
Becoming an adult elf requires them to go into a transcendental state for almost a year. Adult elves need to transcend to the mature before they reach three-hundred years. If an elf looks like a human in their late thirties then they are probably in the adult stage. As an adult, they can become a master in a craft, or scholar in knowledge, or a grand wizard with magic. When they have lived over two-hundred and seventy-five years, the urge to transcend to the next phase of life becomes apparent. If they choose not to advance to mature, their life expectancy is only a couple thousand years.
Reaching the status of mature is celebrated by the entire clan. Mature elves have lived for hundreds of years and are the youngest ones allowed to sit on the council. They are admired by the younger ones, who turn to them for training and guidance. The decision time for mature elves is before they reach eleven-hundred years of age. At a thousand years, they look like humans in their sixties. Many elves don't continue the transformations, limiting their life to only about five thousand years. At eleven-hundred years, they can transcend to a second stage of maturity by going into a trance for another year. Extending their lives to eight-thousand years. Elves in the second maturity stage appear to be in their early seventies. Many elves will stay at this stage of maturity for the rest of their lives. Some will go on to attempt, and complete the next couple of changes, allowing them to live for tens of thousand years. To advance to the next step, they need to enter the transition before reaching twenty-four hundred. Anyone on the council that decides to move on must relinquish their spot. They will be in a trance for several years, and only six out of ten will survive.
Becoming an old elf is considered a great honor. Those that survive become an Hyrru or sage. The committee members and younger elves will seek their advice before making an important decision. An old elf can live upwards of fifteen thousand years. However, few will see that age. Even at that ripe old age, they appear to be in their upper seventies. When an old elf reaches five-thousand years, they have a hundred years to decide whether they will try for the title of Ancient-elf. Only about half that attempt the five-year meditation trance will survive, but there is no limit to the life expectancy. However, few survive longer than twenty-five thousand years. The oldest known elf today is about twelve hundred years, she won't reveal her age.
Communities
Elvin cities seldom exceed a few thousand residents with many numbering less than a thousand. When an Elvin village gets too large, several families will leave to start their own clan with the hope it will becomes a village or a city. Each clan has a council consisting of nine to twelve adult members that are over a century, most of them will be closer to two centuries.
Chances of stumbling across an Elvin city is slim, those that do, are returned to the forest with a forget spell on them. They will not remember the previous month or longer. They seldom reveal the location of their town to any outsiders, with only a handful of humans having been to an Elvin town and remember it.
Wood Elf aka Zoav Neov
Short for Woodland Elves, they are also known as Forest Elves, and Tree Elves. They are about five and a half feet tall with pale to a yellow-green skin tone and hair. They are skilled in natural magic and wilderness survival. They have exceptional hearing and sight. Their skill with the bow and sword is second to none. Wood elves live in the mountains near the tree line, and in tropical jungles. While it is rare, Wood Elves have been able to conceive an offspring with a human partner.
Water Elf aka Hiaw Neov
Water Elves live in large bodies of water. They are about five feet tall with bluish skin with web hands and feet. They don't have ears, instead have holes in the side of their head. They don’t breathe underwater like a fish. Instead, they hold their breath for up to sixty minutes and can dive to depths of over hundred feet. They use crossbows, spears and magic with deadly accuracy on land and in the water. Water Elves live in both fresh and salt water, making their homes out of underwater caves with an entrance over twenty-five feet under the low water level. They are able to talk with sea mammals and some fish. Water elves have been known to mate with mermaids.
Earth Elf aka Nauv Neov
Earth Elves, have white skin with larger ears and poor eyesight from living underground. By sending out a high pitch squeak, and by listening to the echo they can visualize the room. Earth Elves cities are the largest of all the Elvin communities reaching four to five thousand. They are sensitive to the sun and burn if in direct sunlight. Earth elves despise the surface dwellers. They will attack local settlements at night, taking prisoners as slaves or mates.
Sun Elves live the desserts, have chocolate to coal black skin. They stand about six and a half feet tall with long arms and legs. They have normal elf ears with narrow eyes set deeper than most other elves. They are able to cover great distances in a day without tiring. Desert Elves are also found on plains and savannas. Desert Elves bows shoot farther and do more damage because of their long arms. Sun elves are known for their ability to us Yellow magic and working as guides for caravans.